


Day 10: Games (the enemy of my enemy)

by chiralchaos



Series: Turkstober 2020 [8]
Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Family Drama, Gen, Turkstober2020, president shinra has bad priorities, which comes as a surprise to no one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26976040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiralchaos/pseuds/chiralchaos
Summary: “You’re more worried about your reputation than you are your own son,” he grinds out, surprising himself with the tone of his own voice, “You don’t care what happens to me as long as long as no one stains your best suit while crippling your empire. I’ll bear that in mind next time I have a chat with someone gunning for your blood, shall I?”As if he wasn't sure already, Rufus settles on whose side he's on.
Series: Turkstober 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965964
Comments: 7
Kudos: 15
Collections: Turkstober 2020





	Day 10: Games (the enemy of my enemy)

Love him or hate him, the President is an undeniably intimidating figure, and watching him pace the office angrily would be enough to make anyone tremble where they stand. Tseng and Reno stand to attention on the inside of the door, looking on silently, while Rufus, the subject of the President’s anger, stands in the centre.

“Do you know what you could have cost us?” the President asks, looking Rufus directly in the eyes as he speaks. “Can you imagine how much we’d have to spend in repairs if they had gotten to us, how much it would cost to replace the people they would target, the damage to our _property_?”

“Oh, so you’re not worried what could have happened to _me_ ,” Rufus shoots back quickly, not missing a beat, “Why am I not surprised?”

“Think of our reputation,” the President hisses. Rufus raises his eyebrows and feels himself get angrier. He should be used to this shit by now. He’s embarrassed that, apparently, he’s still not.

“You’re more worried about your reputation than you are your own son,” he grinds out, surprising himself with the tone of his own voice; he had been going for casual and nonchalant but instead it had come out as resentful and bitter, and he didn’t like hearing it coming from his own mouth. “You don’t care what happens to me as long as long as no one stains your best suit while crippling your empire. I’ll bear that in mind next time I have a chat with someone gunning for your blood, shall I?”

He knows that in speaking up he has taken it too far and that he has effectively ended the conversation, and the President rounds on him, striding up so they are toe to toe. His father still has a couple of inches on him but Rufus isn’t intimidated that easily, and while anyone else would have cowered on the spot Rufus doesn‘t bat an eyelid. The President, now just inches away, sneers down at him.

“Don’t play games with me, boy,” he says, with a tone of finality, “You won‘t win.”

He looks over Rufus’s shoulder and jerks his head towards the door, the Turks’ cue to take his son away. Rufus refuses to back down from his father until the last minute though, not even looking away until Tseng is in front of him and extending an arm out to guide him towards the door. Tseng nods politely at the President as they leave, he on Rufus’ right and Reno on his left, and they manage to maintain their silence until they’re halfway down the corridor.

“Don’t play games, he says,” Reno comments with a snort, rolling his eyes. Rufus is shocked at how brazen he is to laugh at the President’s words, and is equally shocked to spot a small smile on the corner of Tseng’s lips too. Reno looks at him out the corner of his eye and smirks. “Playing games is what we do best,” he says, voice casual, like he’s commenting on the weather and not talking about taking on the President of Shinra Inc.

“And we never lose,” Tseng murmurs quietly in agreement. Something stirs in Rufus as he listens to the men flanking him, cocky and assured, effortlessly dangerous, and he feels a smirk of his own spread on his lips. He doesn’t lose either.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Turkstober Day 10, Games. Oh President Shinra, you know nothing.


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